Transport Planner jobs
Logistics and transport are important aspects of any business. After all, ensuring goods are shipped out on time, accurately, within budget and to the quality standards that customers expect is essential for the company’s success, whether you’re carrying out a single home delivery or despatching large amounts of stock to suppliers and retail outlets.
With so much at stake, it’s no wonder Transport Planners play such a vital role in the logistics and supply chain of an organisation.
The person in this role is responsible for planning vehicle schedules and deliveries. You generally work within a team and occasionally on a shift rota basis.
Depending on the employer and nature of the business, transport planners will be tasked with organising the fleet - from ensuring vehicles are running, through to maintaining good fuel supplies - as well as scheduling drivers and communicating with delivery teams to ensure they stay on schedule.
You may also be responsible for dealing with returns and discrepancies in a timely manner in order to keep customer satisfaction to a high level.
The skills required
As a Transport Planner, you should possess excellent communication skills. You will be in nearly constant communication with drivers, the traffic office and possibly customers and you should be able to explain your expectations and requirements clearly in order to prevent misunderstandings or delays in service.
Organisation skills and an ability to keep meticulous records is a must. You should also be familiar with the relevant laws and legislation and a good working knowledge of the various technologies used within the industry can be beneficial.
The Transport Planner will need to be confident in communicating to a team of drivers, taking care of staffing and training issues, wherever necessary, and providing motivation and leadership.
Transport Planner Jobs in Wakefield
Wakefield is a city just south of Leeds that comprises the five towns of Pontefract, Castleford, Normanton, Featherstone and Knottingley, as well as other minor towns. With a population of around 325,000, it’s a moderately sized city that is overshadowed by its northern neighbour and Sheffield, which is 20 miles (31 km) to the south. Wakefield is well connected by rail and road, with the M62 and the M1 passing by its north and west respectively.
The city and its constituent towns boomed during the Industrial Revolution when vast seams of coal were discovered beneath them. The area dug hundreds of mines and this remained the key industry in the area until the 1980s when they were closed down one by one. The last remaining one is Kellingley Colliery, located at Knottingley, just east of Pontefract.
The city remains industrial, however, although the days of heavy industry are largely gone. The city’s excellent communications and central location have made it an ideal place to site warehouses, factories and distribution centres, so Transport Planner jobs regularly appear in the Wakefield area. There are also regeneration projects going on in the city designed to diversify and stimulate the economy, and this looks set to bring further growth to an area that has had to reinvent itself completely in thirty years.
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Discover Transport Planner positions with Cast UK
If you’re looking for a Transport Planner job, Cast UK can provide the advice and assistance you need.
We work with clients and candidates in locations across the country to match the best talent to every role. To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Transport Planner for your business or find you a job as a Transport Planner then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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